Saturday, March 08, 2008

Human rights are British values

"Along with the peoples of most other European nations, the British are keen for European institutions to stand up for human rights and sexual equality as the union's prime values. Is this not striking? We want to promote human rights and equality yet we face a permanent propaganda campaign against the Human Rights Act, against the European courts and, in the context of the now defunct EU constitution, against the charter of rights and freedoms — all of which have been relentlessly portrayed as threats to British ways and values rather than the embodiment of them that they really are." —Martin Kettle

2 comments:

NickB
said...

It is a pity to see the admirable European Convention on Human Rights and its well-intentioned Court once again muddled up with the institutions of the European Union. They are wholly separate, and I am as fervent a supporter of the Convention as I am an opponent of the Union.

Most opposition to the modern concept of "human rights" comes from libertarians and conservatives, those concerned with the individual, and the preservation of British values.

Most support for "human rights" comes from collectivists and liberals, i.e. those more likely to favour the group over the individual, and those who are leading the attack against "British ways and values".

This says it all as far as I am concerned. There must be something fishy about the modern concept of human rights if those most in favour of individual liberty are suspicious of it, and those most actively destroying our society are champions of it.

And what's fishy is the new definition.

Human rights in its basic form was fine, but today it has morphed into an ideology used as a weapon against common sense, justice, and personal responsibility. It all too often symbolises one's right to do what one pleases, and never face any of the consequences.